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Two moose attacks in Anchorage area on Memorial Day

Four people, two of them children, were attacked by moose at the margins of Alaska's largest city on Memorial Day.

KTUU reports that Shawn Aspelund and his wife Tami said they were hiking the trails north of Rabbit Creek Elementary in South Anchorage when they came across a cow moose and an unreported number of her calves. The defensive cow charged them twice, and went on to stomp Shawn after he pushed Tami out of the way.

Luckily, and thanks to a nearby tree, Aspelund escaped the stomping without serious injury, only minor scrapes. "All I remember is hooves and fur," he told KTUU. "I tried to keep my head close to the base of the tree to keep it out of the way."

North of Anchorage, however, in Eagle River's Eaglewood Subdivision, a more serious attack occured. According to the Anchorage Daily News, a moose came after two girls, aged 11 and 6, while they were playing.

Police say the animal "severely" stomped the 6-year-old's arm and left hoof marks on her back. The girl was taken to the hospital, and her injuries did not appear life-threatening, said police.

The children ran into playground equipment (described by police as a children's playhouse) to escape the charge. The moose followed, got tangled up, and brought the structure down. The 11-year-old sustained minor injury when the playhouse fell on top of her.